The Melting Pot (restaurant)

The Melting Pot is a chain of franchised fondue restaurants in the United States and Canada. The Tampa, Florida based company has 97 locations as of January 2021. The Melting Pot menu contains various cheese fondues, wines, salads, entrees of meat and seafood served with dipping sauces and oil or broth to be cooked in, and chocolate fondues. It is part of Front Burner Brands.[1]

The Melting Pot restaurant in Tallahassee, Florida
The Melting Pot
IndustryRestaurant
FoundedApril 1975 (1975-04)
HeadquartersTampa, Florida, United States
Number of locations
97 franchises (as of January 2021)
Area served
United States, Canada
ServicesCasual dining, specializing in fondue
Websitewww.meltingpot.com

History

The first Melting Pot opened in April 1975 in Maitland, Florida – a suburban city of the Orlando Metropolitan Area – and served only three items on its menu. With permission from the original owners, Mark, Mike and Bob Johnston opened The Melting Pot of Tallahassee in 1979. As the restaurant expanded its franchise, the menu grew larger. In 1985, the Johnston brothers purchased all rights to the Melting Pot brand.

On June 1, 2008, the original location in Maitland closed.[2] The Company currently has one location open in Canada: in Edmonton, Alberta. Their Richmond Hill, Ontario location closed in March 2013. The Chicago location closed in September 2015.[3] The New Orleans, Louisiana location closed in May 2018.[4] The Syracuse, New York location closed in July 2018.[5] In March 2019, their Las Vegas and Irvine, California locations were closed.[6][7][8] In September 2019, their Scottsdale, Arizona location closed, after operating for 22 years.[9]

Design

The restaurants' interiors are designed using dark red and black colors. They are dimly lit; all seating is mostly in booths, with private booths away from the main room.

Headquarters

Its headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida.

Management

The current CEO of Front Burner, The Melting Pot's management company, is Bob Johnston, the youngest brother of founders Mike and Mark, who once worked as a dishwasher as early as fourteen at his brothers' first location in Tallahassee, and by years he got more involved in the growing business until he became the franchise's President and then promoted to be Front Burner's CEO in 2012.[10]

A complete meal features a cheese fondue, a salad, main course and a chocolate fondue for dessert. The four courses are offered individually or as a "4 Course Experience." The 4 Course Experience includes one of several preset entrees, one serving of cheese, one salad, and one serving of chocolate. Main courses are still fondues, but include more typical entrees of meat, poultry, pasta and seafood. The franchise also produces "special-occasion" packages for anniversaries, weddings and other events.

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2014-01-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "The Melting Pot Closes Its Doors After 11 Years in Chicago". NBC Chicago. September 28, 2015. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  4. Ian McNulty (June 1, 2018). "Melting Pot fondue restaurant closes after 12 years on St. Charles Avenue". The Advocate. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  5. "Destiny USA's Melting Pot fondue restaurant 'no longer sustainable,' closed indefinitely". July 19, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  6. "Las Vegas Closed". The Melting Pot. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  7. "Melting Pot to close Las Vegas location this week". reviewjournal.com. February 27, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  8. "Why The Melting Pot in Irvine closed 'indefinitely' on Monday, March 18". ocregister.com. March 19, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  9. "The Melting Pot to close Scottsdale restaurant". bizjournals.com. August 19, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  10. "How a Teenage Dishwasher Became the CEO of The Melting Pot Fondue Empire". inc.com. July 10, 2017. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
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